Maintaining electronic communications session continuity during session inactivity

ABSTRACT

A method, computer program product, and a system where a processor(s) determine that a user of a given computing device has been authenticated to initiate an application session, that the application session is open, and that the application session has a timeout mechanism triggered by inactivity (i.e., the session not receiving a selection within a first predefined period of time). The processor(s) determines that the application session will automatically timeout within a second predefined period of time based on the inactivity. The processor(s) monitors activities of the user during pendency of the application session with the application including physical and computing activities of the user. The processor(s) determines that at least one activity of the activities indicates engagement of the user with the application session. The processor(s) prevent the timeout mechanism from being triggered during a duration of the at least one activity.

BACKGROUND

As data security concerns rise, authentication to various websites,applications, and/or web services where sensitive and/or financialtransactions are undertaken by users has become more elaborate. Ratherthan only utilize a password verification, many user interfaces toservices provided over the Internet require multiple factorauthentication, which can include two factor authentication (e.g.,confirming a user's claimed identity by utilizing something the userknows, such as a password, and a second factor other than something theuser has or something the user is), and even, three factorauthentication (e.g., confirming a user's claimed identity by utilizingsomething the user knows, such as a password, something the user has,such as a smart card, and something the user is, such as a fingerprintor other biometric method). Although these more elaborate authenticationmethods improve data security, they are also more time consuming for theuser and it is in the best interest of the user to stay in anauthenticated session while the user is utilizing the website,application, and/or web service.

SUMMARY

Shortcomings of the prior art are overcome and additional advantages areprovided through the provision of a method for maintaining sessioncontinuity during inactivity. The method includes, for instance:determining, by one or more processors, that a user of a given computingdevice has been authenticated to initiate an application session, thatthe application session is open, and that the application session has atimeout mechanism triggered by inactivity, wherein the inactivitycomprises the session not receiving a selection, via the given computingdevice, within a first predefined period of time, through an applicationsession interface, wherein the application session interface is renderedby the given computing device in a graphical user interface of the givencomputing device; determining, by the one or more processors, based onthe timeout mechanism, that the application session will automaticallytimeout within a second predefined period of time based on theinactivity; monitoring, by the one or more processors, activities of theuser during pendency of the application session with the application,wherein the activities comprise physical activities of the user andcomputing activities of the user; based on the monitoring, determining,by the one or more processors, that at least one activity of theactivities indicates engagement of the user with the applicationsession; and based on identifying the at least one activity indicatingthe engagement, preventing, by the one or more processors, the timeoutmechanism from being triggered during a duration of the at least oneactivity.

Shortcomings of the prior art are overcome and additional advantages areprovided through the provision of a computer program product formaintaining session continuity during inactivity. The computer programproduct comprises a storage medium readable by a processing circuit andstoring instructions for execution by the processing circuit forperforming a method. The method includes, for instance: determining, bythe one or more processors, that a user of a given computing device hasbeen authenticated to initiate an application session, that theapplication session is open, and that the application session has atimeout mechanism triggered by inactivity, wherein the inactivitycomprises the session not receiving a selection, via the given computingdevice, within a first predefined period of time, through an applicationsession interface, wherein the application session interface is renderedby the given computing device in a graphical user interface of the givencomputing device; determining, by the one or more processors, based onthe timeout mechanism, that the application session will automaticallytimeout within a second predefined period of time based on theinactivity; monitoring, by the one or more processors, activities of theuser during pendency of the application session with the application,wherein the activities comprise physical activities of the user andcomputing activities of the user; based on the monitoring, determining,by the one or more processors, that at least one activity of theactivities indicates engagement of the user with the applicationsession; and based on identifying the at least one activity indicatingthe engagement, preventing, by the one or more processors, the timeoutmechanism from being triggered during a duration of the at least oneactivity.

Methods and systems relating to one or more aspects are also describedand claimed herein. Further, services relating to one or more aspectsare also described and can be claimed herein.

Additional features are realized through the techniques describedherein. Other embodiments and aspects are described in detail herein andare considered a part of the claimed aspects.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

One or more aspects are particularly pointed out and distinctly claimedas examples in the claims at the conclusion of the specification. Theforegoing and objects, features, and advantages of one or more aspectsare apparent from the following detailed description taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a workflow that illustrates certain aspects of someembodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates various aspects of some embodiments of the presentinvention;

FIG. 3 is a technical environment into which various aspects of someembodiments of the present invention has been implemented;

FIG. 4 depicts one embodiment of a computing node that can be utilizedin a cloud computing environment;

FIG. 5 depicts a cloud computing environment according to an embodimentof the present invention; and

FIG. 6 depicts abstraction model layers according to an embodiment ofthe present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The accompanying figures, in which like reference numerals refer toidentical or functionally similar elements throughout the separate viewsand which are incorporated in and form a part of the specification,further illustrate the present invention and, together with the detaileddescription of the invention, serve to explain the principles of thepresent invention. As understood by one of skill in the art, theaccompanying figures are provided for ease of understanding andillustrate aspects of certain embodiments of the present invention. Theinvention is not limited to the embodiments depicted in the figures.

As understood by one of skill in the art, program code, as referred tothroughout this application, includes both software and hardware. Forexample, program code in certain embodiments of the present inventionincludes fixed function hardware, while other embodiments utilized asoftware-based implementation of the functionality described. Certainembodiments combine both types of program code. One example of programcode, also referred to as one or more programs, is depicted in FIG. 4 asprogram/utility 40, having a set (at least one) of program modules 42,can be stored in memory 28.

As discussed above, authenticating to a user interface to access, forexample, a website, an application, and/or web services, can be a timeconsuming and involved process. Another security measure of the userinterfaces is that the user is automatically logged out (sometimes witha warning), when the user does not take action on an input/output deviceof a computing device that the user is utilizing for an interface to thewebsite, an application, and/or web services. For example, in some casesif a user does not make any inputs through a keyboard, mouse, and/ortouchscreen, and/or move the input/output device, for a given period oftime, the user is automatically logged out (sometimes with a warning) ofthe interface to the website, an application, and/or web services. Forbrevity, the term application will be used herein to refer to anyprocess, program, interface, service, website, etc., that a user isauthenticated to access utilizing a computing device. When the user islogged out of the application prematurely, the user must take the timeto reconnect and the more complex the authentication, the less efficientthe transaction/interaction with the application. Rather than logging auser off from an application accessed from a computing device basedsolely on activities performed by the user utilizing the computingdevice, in embodiments of the present invention, program code executingon one or more processors links various user activities to the durationof authenticated sessions in order to accurately extend and/or terminateonline sessions based on a more accurate understanding of whether theuser is engaged with the application to which the user was previouslyauthenticated.

Embodiments of the present invention include a computer-implementedmethod, a computer program product, and a computer system where programcode executing on at least one processing device: 1) extends an onlineuser session for an application by linking duration of the online usersession to user behaviors indicative of continued engagement with theonline user session, in addition to, or instead of, on a period lapsingwithout the user utilizing an input/output (I/O) device communicativelycoupled to the interface, through which the user accesses the usersession; and 2) terminates the online user session based on detectinguser behaviors indicating a lack of engagement with the online usersession. In some embodiments of the present invention, the program codeidentifies user behaviors indicative of continued engagement with theonline user session based on performing one or more of the following: 1)utilizing an Internet of Things (IoT) device registered to the user,with the permission of the user, to track user behavior; 2) utilizingvarious devices proximate to the user, including devices embedded in acomputing device the user utilizes to access the application, tomonitor, with the user's permission, the user's engagement with theonline user session, by monitoring one or more of the user's eyemovement, speech, and/or physical activity; and/or 3) identifyingapplications being utilized by the user while not interacting with theapplication and determining that the interactions with the identifiedapplications are relevant to the engagement of the user with the onlineuser session.

Embodiments of the present invention are inextricably linked tocomputing because aspects of these embodiments address issues particularto computing by utilizing computing technology. Electronicauthentication of users and security enforcement on applications thatauthenticate users are both aspects that are particular to computing.Embodiments of the present invention utilize various computing devicesand technologies to extend and close windows in which users areauthorized to utilize these applications in a manner that reflects, moreaccurately, the interaction of the users with these applications. Thus,embodiments of the present invention are inextricably linked tocomputing based on addressing an issue unique to computing (i.e.,premature expiration of application sessions) with an approach groundedin computing (i.e., utilizing IoT devices, motion sensors, and/or userinteraction with additional applications).

Embodiments of the present invention provide a practical approach to adefined issue. The issue, as expressed above, is an inaccurate (e.g.,premature) automatic session expiration for a user who is still engagedwith the session, but not necessarily by making inputs into an I/Odevice or moving an I/O device communicatively coupled to the physicalmachine that the user utilized to initiate the session. Embodiments ofthe present invention contain aspects that provide a practical solutionto this specific issue, recognizing activities relevant to the session,but not within the predefined limits. As explained below, in embodimentsof the present invention, the program code can extend applicationsessions based on one or more of the following: user behavior, userphysical activity, user computing activity, and/or user physicalorientation. Thus, embodiments of the present invention integrate into apractical application an approach to extending application sessions.

Embodiments of the present invention include aspects that representsignificant improvements to existing approaches of application sessionmanagement. For example, some existing approaches modify a timeout of agiven application based on tracking historical activity of individualswith the given application. These approaches require significanthistorical data to inform a logout decision and is limited to theinteractions of the user with the application. However, in someembodiments of the present invention, program code executing on at leastone computing device extends session times, which includes modifyingtimeouts, and avoiding premature timeouts, in real-time, rather thanrelying on historical data collection. For example, in some embodimentsof the present invention, the program code can extend a session andavoid an inaccurate timeout based on one or more of: obtaining data fromIoT devices to determine if a user is engaged with the session,utilizing image, audio, activity and/or movement analysis to determineif an individual is focused on a session. Additionally, embodiments ofthe present invention can utilize historical data beyond the userinteractions of the user that are specific to the application in orderto determine whether a user is engaged with the application.

FIG. 1 is a workflow 100 that depicts various aspects of someembodiments of the present invention. In some embodiments of the presentinvention, program code executing on one or more processing devicedetermines that a user of a given computing device is connected to anapplication based on initiating a session with the application and thatthe session has a time limitation that is based on inactivity (110). Insome embodiments of the present invention, the program code determinesthat a timeout will occur within a predefined period of time (120). Thepredefined period of time can be a set amount of time before anautomatic timeout, in order to allow time for the program code to checkwhether the user is engaged with the session in a manner outside ofmaking inputs into an I/O device communicatively coupled to thecomputing device. The program code can check for engagement each time asession clock is at a certain point before a timeout. In someembodiments of the present invention, regardless of the timing of theclock, the program code can continuously check for user engagement atconsistent intervals.

Returning to FIG. 1, in some embodiments of the present invention, theprogram code determines if the user is engaged with the application(130). The program code can determine that the user is engaged based onmonitoring the user utilizing one or more IoT devices registered to theuser and/or utilizing various devices integrated with the givencomputing device. In some embodiments of the present invention, the usercan provide permission to the program code to access the IoT device(s)and/or the devices of the computing device for the purpose of sessionmanagement. The user can actively register the IoT device(s) to providepermission and ascent to use of the integrated devices. Thus, anymonitoring of the user performed by the program code is performed withthe permission of the user and for the purpose of session management.

As discussed above, in some embodiments of the present invention, theprogram code determines if a user is engaged with an application (130)based on obtaining supplemental information from one or more IoT devicesregistered by the user. The program code can obtain the supplementalinformation contemporaneously with the application session. Inembodiments of the present invention, the program code can determine ifa user is engaged with an application based on utilizing IoT devicesassociated with the user to capture and assess the activity of the user,and, if available, based on data obtained by the program code fromvarious IoT devices within physical proximity to the user, as the userutilizes the computing device. In some embodiments of the presentinvention, the computing device utilized to initiate and maintain theapplication session and the IoT device are the same physical device.

As understood by one of skill in the art, the Internet of Things (IoT)is a system of interrelated computing devices, mechanical and digitalmachines, objects, animals and/or people that are provided with uniqueidentifiers and the ability to transfer data over a network, withoutrequiring human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction. Thesecommunications are enabled by smart sensors, which include, but are notlimited to, both active and passive radio-frequency identification(RFID) tags, which utilize electromagnetic fields to identifyautomatically and to track tags attached to objects and/or associatedwith objects and people. Smart sensors, such as RFID tags, can trackenvironmental factors related to an object or an area, including but notlimited to, temperature and humidity. The smart sensors can be utilizedto measure temperature, humidity, vibrations, motion, light, pressureand/or altitude. IoT devices also include individual activity andfitness trackers, which include (wearable) devices or applications thatinclude smart sensors for monitoring and tracking fitness-relatedmetrics such as distance walked or run, calorie consumption, and in somecases heartbeat and quality of sleep and include smartwatches that aresynced to a computer or smartphone for long-term data tracking. Becausethe smart sensors in IoT devices carry unique identifiers, a computingsystem that communicates with a given sensor can identify the source ofthe information. Although in some embodiments of the present invention,users actively register IoT devices for utilization by the program code,in some embodiments of the present invention, the program code couldautomatically discover possible IoT devices and request confirmationfrom the user. Within the IoT, various devices can communicate with eachother and can access data from sources available over variouscommunication networks, including the Internet. Certain IoT devices canalso be placed at various locations and can provide data based inmonitoring environmental factors at the locations.

In embodiments of the present invention, the program code utilizes oneor more IoT devices to determine if a user is performing an activitythat indicates that the user is engaged with the application. If theprogram code determines that the user is engaged, the program codeextends the application session and/or otherwise prevents the sessionfrom timing out. IoT devices can monitor and capture user activitythrough the collection of a wide range of data. IoT devices can collectvideo, image, movement, and audio data, all of which can assist theprogram code in determining whether the user is engaged with a givenapplication. In various embodiments of the present invention, programcode can determine that users are engaged with a session based ondetermining, during the pendency of the session, one or more of thefollowing: 1) the user is visually focused on the session; 2) the useris engaging a behavior that indicates engagement with the session;and/or 3) the user is engaged in conversations that are relevant to thesession.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the program codedetermines that a user is engaged with a session based on the uservisually focusing on the application instance, as displayed on thecomputing device (e.g., as a graphical user interface). To make thisdetermination, the program code utilizes an IoT device to capture animage and/or video of the user, from which the program code candetermine that the user's eye positioning and/or movements indicate thatthe user is focused on the instance. In order to determine if a user isvisually engaged with the instance, one or more programs receive datafrom the image capture device (e.g., a camera integrated into a computermonitor of the computing device, an IoT device proximate to the user)indicating the eye movements and/or positioning of the user whenobserving the computer monitor of the computing device. The one or moreprograms can compute a current focal point of the user (based on theobserved eye movements relative to the computer monitor), to determinewhether the user is focused on the instance.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the program codedetermines that a user is engaged with a session based on the userengaging in a physical activity that was a past indicator of engagementwith an application. Based on monitoring a user's movements, the programcode can learn when a user is engaged with a session. For example, agiven user can perform a specific physical activity and if a sessiontimes out while the user is engaged in this activity and the userquickly reconnects, the program code can conclude, with a given degreeof certainty based on the repetitiveness of this behavior, that the userremains engaged when performing this specific activity and therefore,the program code should extend the session. As one non-limiting example,the program code can determine that a user remains engaged when the useris tapping the user's fingers, despite not making any inputs through asI/O device. In another example, a given user can utilize a bankingapplication with a security timeout and while using that application,the individual balances a physical checkbook by looking down at smallpieces of paper when balancing the checkbook. This given user is notfocused on the session with the banking application, but is engaged inbehavior that is relevant to the session. Thus, the program code canlearn that the session should remain connected despite the fact that theuser is not focused on the interface for (potentially) long periods oftime and seemingly idle as far as making inputs. Similarly, the programcode can determine that walking away from the user interface of thecomputing device and/or surfing media websites indicate a lack ofengagement by the user and will not extend the session should the userengage in these behaviors.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the program code monitorsthe user and by utilizing data collected by available (registered) IoTdevices, and can apply machine learning algorithms to model the user'sactivity patterns and to generate a user activity profile. The programcode can train these algorithms, based on patterns for the user (oracross all user). FIG. 2 is an example of a machine learning trainingsystem 200 that can be utilized to perform cognitive analyses of sensorand IoT data to generate a user activity profile in embodiments of thepresent invention. Program code can obtain data in embodiments of thepresent invention from one or more personal devices (e.g., IoT devices,sensors, personal health trackers, physical activity trackers, smartwatches, etc.), which the user can be utilizing while a session isactive on a computing device. Program code in an embodiment of thepresent invention can obtain data from these personal devices indicatingthat the driver is engaged with the session. For example, a personaldevice worn by the user can include an accelerometer and/or a gyroscope.The program code can utilize these motion sensing devices to identifyphysical activities that indicate an engagement with the session.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the program can generatean activity or movement profile for a given user. The profile includesmachine learned activity and/or movement patterns for the given user,based on the monitoring. The profile includes an engagement measureindicating a probability of a given pattern indicating the engagement.For example, based on monitoring a user over time, program codedetermines that the user will re-initiate a session that times out whenthe user is pacing proximate to the computing device utilized by theuser. Thus, moving forward, the program code can predict that if theuser is pacing, the user is engaged with the session and therefore, theprogram code can prevent the session from timing out when the user ispacing. In another example, the program code can identify a movementwhich the user performs is answering a phone call while engaged with thesession. The program code determines, based on observing this behaviorrepeatedly, that the user returns to the session only, for example,fifty percent of the time, after answering a phone call. Thus, movingforward, the program code determines that it cannot predict, withreasonable reliability, whether the user answering the phone indicatesthat the session should be extended. Thus, the program code, in thisexample, does not extend a session and/or prevent a timeout, when a useranswers a phone call during the pendency. In some embodiments of thepresent invention, the program code extends the session for a givenmovement provided that this movement is indicative of desired sessioncontinuity above a given threshold percentage.

Machine learning (ML) solves problems that cannot be solved by numericalmeans alone. In this ML-based example, program code extracts variousfeatures/attributes from training data 240, which can be resident in oneor more databases 220 comprising IoT data (e.g., sensor data). In someembodiments of the present invention, the training data 240 can comprisehistorical activity data of the user. The features are utilized todevelop a predictor function, h(x), also referred to as a hypothesis,which the program code utilizes as a machine learning model 230. Inidentifying various features/attributes (e.g., patterns) in the trainingdata 240, the program code can utilize various techniques including, butnot limited to, mutual information, which is an example of a method thatcan be utilized to identify features in an embodiment of the presentinvention. Further embodiments of the present invention utilize varyingtechniques to select features (elements, patterns, attributes, etc.),including but not limited to, diffusion mapping, principal componentanalysis, recursive feature elimination (a brute force approach toselecting features), and/or a Random Forest, to select the features. Theprogram code can utilize a machine learning algorithm 240 to train themachine learning model 230 (e.g., the algorithms utilized by the programcode), including providing weights for the conclusions, so that theprogram code can prioritize various activities based on the consistencyand speed at which a user re-initiates a lost connection when engagementin this activity precedes a timeout, in accordance with the predictorfunctions that comprise the machine learning model 230. The conclusionscan be evaluated by a quality metric 250. By selecting a diverse set oftraining data 210, the program code trains the machine learning model230 to identify and weight various attributes (e.g., features, patterns)that correlate to various physical activities. Based on modeling theuser's behavior and physical activity while utilizing applications on acomputing devices, the program code can determine whether temporalsensor data represents an established pattern, indicating that the useris engaged with the session while performing certain physicalactivities.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the program codedetermines that the user is engaged in the session based on determiningthat the user is engaged in conversations that are relevant to thesession, during the pendency of the session. The program code candetermine that a user is engaged with a session based on the programcode cognitively analyzing audio data captured by an IoT device and/or acapture device on the computing device and concluding that the contextof the audio is relevant to the application. For example, a user caninitiate a session with an application to retrieve electronic tickets toan event, but can be required to stand on a line to wait for thetickets, now rendered on the screen of the computing device, to bescanned. Based on the wait, the session could timeout and the user couldhave to log in again. However, based on capturing ambient conversationduring this wait, the program code can determine that the user isengaged in a conversation about the tickets and about entering the eventand extend the session based on the conversation remaining ongoing beingrelevant to the application. The program code can terminate the sessionand/or populate a timeout warning to the user based on the relevantconversation having ceased for a predetermined period of time (e.g., oneminute, five minutes, twenty minutes, etc.).

To determine that a user is engaged in a conversation that is relevantto an application session and/or that ambient conversation is relevantto the application, the program code obtains audio data from one or moreIoT devices and cognitively analyzes the audio to determine if thecontext is relevant to the application session. In order to analyze theaudio data, the program code can utilize APIs that process the audio.The various APIs can include, but are not limited to, a tone analyzerAPI, a personality insight API, a text to speech API, and a translationAPI. In some embodiments of the present invention, the program codecompares context derived from NLP processing of a conversationcontemporaneous with an application session and the context onapplication session (e.g., a screen of the application) and determinesif the contexts are related.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the program code canutilize an existing cognitive agent to determine the subject of aconversation (or isolated communication), determined the subject(s) ofthe conversation/communication, and determine whether the subject(s) isrelevant to a pending application session. One such cognitive agent thatcan be utilized in embodiments of the present invention is IBM Watson®.IBM Watson® is a registered trademark of International Business MachinesCorporation, Armonk, N.Y., US. For example, in some embodiments of thepresent invention, the program code interfaces with the applicationprogramming interfaces (APIs) that are part of a known cognitive agent,such as the IBM Watson® Application Program Interface (API), a productof International Business Machines Corporation, to identify a subjectand/or context of an oral communication. For example, three APIs thatcan be utilized in embodiments of the present invention include, but arenot limited to IBM Watson® Natural Language Classifier (NLC), IBMWatson® Natural Language Understanding, and IBM Watson® Tone Analyzer.As understood by one of skill in the art, the IBM Watson® APIs are onlyprovided to offer an example of possible APIs that can be integratedinto embodiments of the present invention and to illustrate thefunctionality of the program code in embodiments of the presentinvention, whether through integration of an existing cognitive engineor not.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the cognitive naturallanguage processing (NLP) capabilities of the program code areimplemented as a machine learning system that includes a neural network(NN). In certain embodiments of the present invention the program codeutilizes supervised, semi-supervised, or unsupervised deep learningthrough a single- or multi-layer NN to correlate various attributes fromunstructured and structured data related to a user (e.g., gathered bythe program code from IoT devices) with the application session. Theprogram code utilizes resources of the NN to identify and weightconnections from the attribute sets in the audio to determine thecontext of the conversation(s) and whether the conversation(s) arerelevant to the application session. For example, the NN can identifycertain keywords that indicate a relevant to the application. If theapplication session is with a ticketing application and the conversationis about tickets, the program code would determine that the conversationis relevant to session.

As understood by one of skill in the art, neural networks are abiologically-inspired programming paradigm which enable a computer tolearn from observational data. This learning is referred to as deeplearning, which is a set of techniques for learning in neural networks.Neural networks, including modular neural networks, are capable ofpattern recognition with speed, accuracy, and efficiency, in situationwhere data sets are multiple and expansive, including across adistributed network of the technical environment. Modern neural networksare non-linear statistical data modeling tools. They are usually used tomodel complex relationships between inputs and outputs or to identifypatterns in data (i.e., neural networks are non-linear statistical datamodeling or decision making tools). In general, program code utilizingneural networks can model complex relationships between inputs andoutputs and identify patterns in data. Because of the speed andefficiency of neural networks, especially when parsing multiple complexdata sets, neural networks and deep learning provide solutions to manyproblems in image recognition, speech recognition, and natural languageprocessing (NLP). Thus, by utilizing an NN the program code can identifyattributes and classify these attributes as relevant to a variousapplications.

Returning to FIG. 1, the program code determines if the user is engagedwith a related application or activity through a user interface of thegiven computing device (140). In some embodiments of the presentinvention, a user accesses the initial application, via a website, andthe program code determines if the user is engaged one or moreapplications on one or more related websites. To make thisdetermination, in some embodiments of the present invention, the programcode monitors other applications (e.g., websites) that a user is engagedwith on the given computing device, during the session with theapplication and determines if the other applications are related to thepending application session, based on determining if there is a linkagebetween the other applications and the application session. In someembodiments of the present invention, the user establishes linkagesbetween applications or websites in advance of initiating the session.Thus, the program code can determine that although the user isinteracting with a different application, the activities of the user arestill related to the session and the program code can extend the sessionand/or prevent the session from expiring from lack of user interaction.In some embodiments of the present invention, when a user has initiateda given session but instead of working in that session, the user isutilizing a different application on the computing device, the programcode can provide a warning to the user, in advance of the sessiontimeout, that the session is timing out and request that the userconfirm or deny that the different application is linked to the session.If the user confirms that the different application is linked to thesession, the program code will retain this information, and should theuser work in this application while a session of the initial applicationis open, the program code will extend the session while the user isworking in the different application, as if the user were still activewithin the session. Thus, the program code tracks secondary applicationsand websites that are relevant to a given application, such that theprogram code can continue sessions in the given application when a useris utilizing these secondary applications and websites. In someembodiments of the present invention, linkages of sites and applicationsare not user-specific and provided another user has linked sites orapplications, the program code either automatically extends the sessionbeyond what would be the expiration, keeping the session engaged and/orprompting the user the agree to confirm that the session should remainactive. In the latter circumstance, if the user confirms that thesession should remain active, the program code keeps the session activedespite the lack of activity of the user within the session itself. Insome embodiments of the present invention, if the user is utilizinganother application that was linked to the initial application byanother user, the program code can prompt the user to see if the userregards the applications as linked and provide in the prompt that thelinkage was supplied by another user.

A non-limiting example of when the program code determines if the useris engaged with a related application or activity through a userinterface of the given computing device (140) is when a given userinitiates a banking application through a graphical user interface (GUI)on a computing device. The application authenticates the user and asession is initiated. While keeping a window with the session open on acomputing device, rather than interact with the device, the userlaunches additional applications in new windows and utilizes theseadditional applications to review financial data, including bankingbalances and transactions. The program code in some embodiments of thepresent invention monitors the activity of the user on the givencomputing device and before expiration of the session (based oninactivity), the program code determines whether one or more of theadditional applications in new windows are linked to the bankingapplication. If the program code determines that a linkage exists, theprogram code keeps the session active. If there is no predefinedlinkage, the program code can warn the user that the session is about toexpire and request of the user whether there is a linkage between thesession and any of the one or more of the additional applications.Should the user indicate a linkage, the program code will not timeoutthe session if the user is interacting with the linked application andthe program code will retain the linkage for future use. In thisexample, because the additional applications that the user is utilizingare being used to review financial data, including banking balances andtransactions, the program will likely either determine that a linkageexists, initially, or the user will indicate that there is a linkage, inresponse to the timeout warning, and the program code will therefore beable to identify the linkage in the future. As discussed above, theprogram code can identify a linkage based on linkages established by theuser and/or linkages established by users of the shared computingenvironment.

In some embodiments of the present invention, rather than rely onregistration of linkages between applications to establish a linkage,the program code performs a cognitive analysis of established linkagesto predict additional linkages. The program code can automaticallyimplement these predicted linkages to extend sessions of applicationsand/or prompt the user regarding whether to extend the session of anapplication is a linkage is predicted. In some embodiments of thepresent invention, linkages that are provided by users (as describedabove) can become training data, such that the program code can upload,track, correlate, and analyze applications and predict relationshipsbetween the applications, by performing a cognitive analysis. Cognitiveanalysis and machine learning is described above as related to useractivities, but the same cognitive analytics facilities, including butnot limited to the capabilities of IBM® Watson, can be utilized by theprogram code to provide recommendations for application linkages futureusers. In embodiments of the present invention, the linkages registeredby users are utilized by the program code as training data and based oncognitively analyzing the analysis. Returning to FIG. 2, the programcode in embodiments of the present invention, can identify variousfeatures/attributes (e.g., patterns) in the training data 240, theprogram code can utilize various techniques including, but not limitedto, mutual information, which is an example of a method that can beutilized to identify features in an embodiment of the present invention.Further embodiments of the present invention utilize varying techniquesto select features (elements, patterns, attributes, etc.), including butnot limited to, diffusion mapping, principal component analysis,recursive feature elimination (a brute force approach to selectingfeatures), and/or a Random Forest, to select the features. The programcode can utilize a machine learning algorithm 240 to train the machinelearning model 230 (e.g., the algorithms utilized by the program code),including providing weights for the conclusions, so that the programcode can prioritize various commonalities between applications, inaccordance with the predictor functions that comprise the machinelearning model 230. The conclusions can be evaluated by a quality metric250. Through cognitive analysis, the program code can predict whichapplications and/or websites users typically link together; and/or 2)predict which activities users typically perform in conjunction with theapplications they use.

Returning to FIG. 1, in some embodiments of the present invention, ifthe program code determines that the user is engaged with theapplication (130) and/or the user is engaged with a related applicationor activity through a user interface of the given computing device(140), the program code communicates this engagement status to theapplication to extend the application session, based on the continuedengagement (150). Depending on the existing functionality of theapplication session that the program code has determined should beextended, the program code can extend the session utilizing differentapproaches. In some embodiments of the present invention, theapplication for which the session was initiated is a registered site andwith a predefined communication protocol. The program code cancommunicate with registered sites utilizing a variety of specifiedprotocols, including but not limited to: 1) the program code canelectronically communicate with a back-end system of the registeredsite; and/or 2) the program code can initiate a keystroke and/or click ahidden location, to delay logout (or initiate log out). If the site isnot registered with a preference, the program code can be configured totake either approach and/or a separate approach to triggering theapplication to extend the session. Thus, if the program code determinesthat the user is engaged with the application, the program code causesthe log out of a session of the application to be deferred. If theprogram code determines that the user is no longer engaged with theapplication, the program code causes the logout to be initiated.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the program codedetermines if a user is engaged with a site or product (e.g.,application) that is part of a targeted industry section. The programcode can automatically target and engage sites specific to offeringapplications of complex workflows for a consumer or business to utilize.In some embodiments of the present invention, when the program codedetermines that a user is actively engaged in a workflow with multiplesteps and/or a workflow involving complex conditions requiring extratime for the user to gather information to prevent log out beforecompletion, the program code can extend the session in order toaccommodate the complexity of the activities of the user. In someembodiments of the present invention, the program code prompts the userto engage and/or engagement is automated based on previous agreement, ofthe user, with the site, company, and/or product. As such, the user canexperience immediate benefits, including but not limited to, increasedusability and task completion success rates for complex workflows.Benefits of aspects of the present invention can be experienced in oneor more of the insurance, financial, and travel sectors.

FIG. 3 is a technical environment 300 into which various aspects of someembodiments of the present invention can be implemented. The technicalenvironment 300 is merely one example of an implementation of certainaspects of some embodiments of the present invention and is provided forillustrative purposes, only. In some embodiments of the presentinvention, a user 310 utilizes a computing device 320 to initiate asession with an application executed on at least one server 330.Proximate to the user is at least one IoT device 340 which the programcode can utilize (e.g., has been given permission to utilize via userregistration) to monitor the user. The program code obtains data fromthe one IoT device 340 and from monitoring user activity on thecomputing device 320 and cognitively analyzes the data utilizing acognitive analysis engine 350 (e.g., one or more computing resourcesexecuting program code that can perform a cognitive analysis) trainedwith training data 360. The cognitive analysis engine 350 executes andupdates various machine learning algorithms, to determine whether theuser's behavior indicates that the user 310 is engaged with the sessionon the computing device 320. Based on determining that the user 310 isengaged with the session, the program code causes the session to remainpending. Should the program code determine, based on the cognitiveanalysis, that the user 310 is not engaged, the program code causes thesession to terminate and/or does not extend the session, such that itterminates.

Embodiments of the present invention include a computer-implementedmethod, a computer program product, and a computer system, where programcode executing on one or mode processors determines that a user of agiven computing device has been authenticated to initiate an applicationsession, that the application session is open, and that the applicationsession has a timeout mechanism triggered by inactivity, where theinactivity comprises the session not receiving a selection, via thegiven computing device, within a first predefined period of time,through an application session interface, where the application sessioninterface is rendered by the given computing device in a graphical userinterface of the given computing device. The program code determines,based on the timeout mechanism, that the application session willautomatically timeout within a second predefined period of time based onthe inactivity, The program code monitors activities of the user duringpendency of the application session with the application, where theactivities comprise physical activities of the user and computingactivities of the user. Based on the monitoring, the program codedetermines that at least one activity of the activities indicatesengagement of the user with the application session. Based onidentifying the at least one activity indicating the engagement, theprogram code prevents the timeout mechanism from being triggered duringa duration of the at least one activity.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the program codemonitoring physical activities of the user comprises: the program codeidentifying one or more computing resources proximate to the user; andthe program code utilizing the one or more computing resources to trackeye movements of the user to determine if the eye movements indicates afocus by the user on the application session interface, during theinactivity, where the focus comprises the at least one activityindicating the engagement.

In some embodiments of the present invention, at least one computingresource of the one or more computing resources comprises an Internet ofThings device.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the program codeidentifying the one or more resources comprises the program codeobtaining a registration, from the user, via the given computing device,of the one or more computing resources.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the program codemonitoring physical activities of the user comprises: the program codeidentifying one or more computing resources proximate to the user; theprogram code utilizing the one or more computing resources to monitorphysical activities of the user comprising movements of the user; andthe program code generating a movement profile for the given user, wherethe movement profile comprises machine learned movement patterns for thegiven user, based on the monitoring, where the movement profilecomprises an engagement measure indicating a probability of a movementpattern of the movement patterns indicating the engagement.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the program codeidentifies, based on the monitoring by the program code, the userperforming a given movement pattern with an engagement measureindicating a probability of above a predefined threshold value that thegiven movement pattern indicates the engagement.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the given movement patterncomprises the at least one activity.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the one or more computingresources comprise an audio capture device, and the program codemonitoring physical activities of the user comprises recording audio ofthe user during the pendency of the application session.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the program codedetermining that the at least one activity of the activities indicatesthe engagement of the user with the application session furthercomprises: the program code identifying utilizing natural languageprocessing, a context of the recorded audio of the user; the programcode analyzing the context and the audio and a context of theapplication session to determine of the context of the audio and thecontext of the application are related; and based on determining thatthe context of the audio and the context of the application are related,the program code identifying the audio as the at least one activity.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the program codemonitoring computing activities of the user comprises: the program codemonitoring computing activities performed utilizing the given computingdevice during the pendency of the application session, where thecomputing activities do not include interacting with the applicationsession.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the program codedetermining that the at least one activity of the activities indicatesthe engagement of the user with the application session furthercomprises: the program code prompting through the graphical userinterface of the given computing device, the user to indicate a linkagebetween each of the computing activity of the computing activities andthe application session; and the program code obtaining based on theprompting, an indication that at least one computing activity of thecomputing activities in linked to the application session; and based onthe obtaining, the program code determining that the at least onecomputing activity of the computing activities is the at least oneactivity of the activities that indicates the engagement.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the program code retains,in a memory, the linkage indicated by the user.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the one or more processorscommence monitoring a given pre-defined period of time prior to anexpiration of the second predefined period of time.

Referring now to FIG. 4, a schematic of an example of a computing node,which can be a cloud computing node 10. Cloud computing node 10 is onlyone example of a suitable cloud computing node and is not intended tosuggest any limitation as to the scope of use or functionality ofembodiments of the invention described herein. Regardless, cloudcomputing node 10 is capable of being implemented and/or performing anyof the functionality set forth hereinabove. In an embodiment of thepresent invention, the computing device 320 (FIG. 3), the at least oneserver 330 (FIG. 3), the IoT device 340 (FIG. 3), and/or the cognitiveengine 350 (FIG. 3), can each be understood as a cloud computing node 10(FIG. 4) and if not a cloud computing node 10, then one or more generalcomputing nodes that include aspects of the cloud computing node 10.

In cloud computing node 10 there is a computer system/server 12, whichis operational with numerous other general purpose or special purposecomputing system environments or configurations. Examples of well-knowncomputing systems, environments, and/or configurations that can besuitable for use with computer system/server 12 include, but are notlimited to, personal computer systems, server computer systems, thinclients, thick clients, handheld or laptop devices, multiprocessorsystems, microprocessor-based systems, set top boxes, programmableconsumer electronics, network PCs, minicomputer systems, mainframecomputer systems, and distributed cloud computing environments thatinclude any of the above systems or devices, and the like.

Computer system/server 12 can be described in the general context ofcomputer system-executable instructions, such as program modules, beingexecuted by a computer system. Generally, program modules can includeroutines, programs, objects, components, logic, data structures, and soon that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract datatypes. Computer system/server 12 can be practiced in distributed cloudcomputing environments where tasks are performed by remote processingdevices that are linked through a communications network. In adistributed cloud computing environment, program modules can be locatedin both local and remote computer system storage media including memorystorage devices.

As shown in FIG. 4, computer system/server 12 that can be utilized ascloud computing node 10 is shown in the form of a general-purposecomputing device. The components of computer system/server 12 caninclude, but are not limited to, one or more processors or processingunits 16, a system memory 28, and a bus 18 that couples various systemcomponents including system memory 28 to processor 16.

Bus 18 represents one or more of any of several types of bus structures,including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, anaccelerated graphics port, and a processor or local bus using any of avariety of bus architectures. By way of example, and not limitation,such architectures include Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus,Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) bus, Enhanced ISA (EISA) bus, VideoElectronics Standards Association (VESA) local bus, and PeripheralComponent Interconnect (PCI) bus.

Computer system/server 12 typically includes a variety of computersystem readable media. Such media can be any available media that isaccessible by computer system/server 12, and it includes both volatileand non-volatile media, removable and non-removable media.

System memory 28 can include computer system readable media in the formof volatile memory, such as random access memory (RAM) 30 and/or cachememory 32. Computer system/server 12 can further include otherremovable/non-removable, volatile/non-volatile computer system storagemedia. By way of example only, storage system 34 can be provided forreading from and writing to a non-removable, non-volatile magnetic media(not shown and typically called a “hard drive”). Although not shown, amagnetic disk drive for reading from and writing to a removable,non-volatile magnetic disk (e.g., a “floppy disk”), and an optical diskdrive for reading from or writing to a removable, non-volatile opticaldisk such as a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM or other optical media can be provided.In such instances, each can be connected to bus 18 by one or more datamedia interfaces. As will be further depicted and described below,memory 28 can include at least one program product having a set (e.g.,at least one) of program modules that are configured to carry out thefunctions of embodiments of the invention.

Program/utility 40, having a set (at least one) of program modules 42,can be stored in memory 28 by way of example, and not limitation, aswell as an operating system, one or more application programs, otherprogram modules, and program data. Each of the operating system, one ormore application programs, other program modules, and program data orsome combination thereof, can include an implementation of a networkingenvironment. Program modules 42 generally carry out the functions and/ormethodologies of embodiments of the invention as described herein.

Computer system/server 12 can also communicate with one or more externaldevices 14 such as a keyboard, a pointing device, a display 24, etc.;one or more devices that enable a user to interact with computersystem/server 12; and/or any devices (e.g., network card, modem, etc.)that enable computer system/server 12 to communicate with one or moreother computing devices. Such communication can occur via Input/Output(I/O) interfaces 22. Still yet, computer system/server 12 cancommunicate with one or more networks such as a local area network(LAN), a general wide area network (WAN), and/or a public network (e.g.,the Internet) via network adapter 20. As depicted, network adapter 20communicates with the other components of computer system/server 12 viabus 18. It should be understood that although not shown, other hardwareand/or software components could be used in conjunction with computersystem/server 12. Examples include, but are not limited to: microcode,device drivers, redundant processing units, external disk drive arrays,RAID systems, tape drives, and data archival storage systems, etc.

It is to be understood that although this disclosure includes a detaileddescription on cloud computing, implementation of the teachings recitedherein are not limited to a cloud computing environment. Rather,embodiments of the present invention are capable of being implemented inconjunction with any other type of computing environment now known orlater developed.

Cloud computing is a model of service delivery for enabling convenient,on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computingresources (e.g., networks, network bandwidth, servers, processing,memory, storage, applications, virtual machines, and services) that canbe rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort orinteraction with a provider of the service. This cloud model can includeat least five characteristics, at least three service models, and atleast four deployment models.

Characteristics are as follows:

On-demand self-service: a cloud consumer can unilaterally provisioncomputing capabilities, such as server time and network storage, asneeded automatically without requiring human interaction with theservice's provider.

Broad network access: capabilities are available over a network andaccessed through standard mechanisms that promote use by heterogeneousthin or thick client platforms (e.g., mobile phones, laptops, and PDAs).Resource pooling: the provider's computing resources are pooled to servemultiple consumers using a multi-tenant model, with different physicaland virtual resources dynamically assigned and reassigned according todemand. There is a sense of location independence in that the consumergenerally has no control or knowledge over the exact location of theprovided resources but can be able to specify location at a higher levelof abstraction (e.g., country, state, or datacenter). Rapid elasticity:capabilities can be rapidly and elastically provisioned, in some casesautomatically, to quickly scale out and rapidly released to quicklyscale in. To the consumer, the capabilities available for provisioningoften appear to be unlimited and can be purchased in any quantity at anytime.

Measured service: cloud systems automatically control and optimizeresource use by leveraging a metering capability at some level ofabstraction appropriate to the type of service (e.g., storage,processing, bandwidth, and active user accounts). Resource usage can bemonitored, controlled, and reported, providing transparency for both theprovider and consumer of the utilized service.

Service Models are as follows:

Software as a Service (SaaS): the capability provided to the consumer isto use the provider's applications running on a cloud infrastructure.The applications are accessible from various client devices through athin client interface such as a web browser (e.g., web-based e-mail).The consumer does not manage or control the underlying cloudinfrastructure including network, servers, operating systems, storage,or even individual application capabilities, with the possible exceptionof limited user specific application configuration settings.

Platform as a Service (PaaS): the capability provided to the consumer isto deploy onto the cloud infrastructure consumer-created or acquiredaF1pplications created using programming languages and tools supportedby the provider. The consumer does not manage or control the underlyingcloud infrastructure including networks, servers, operating systems, orstorage, but has control over the deployed applications and possiblyapplication hosting environment configurations.

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): the capability provided to theconsumer is to provision processing, storage, networks, and otherfundamental computing resources where the consumer is able to deploy andrun arbitrary software, which can include operating systems andapplications. The consumer does not manage or control the underlyingcloud infrastructure but has control over operating systems, storage,deployed applications, and possibly limited control of select networkingcomponents (e.g., host firewalls).

Deployment Models are as follows:

Private cloud: the cloud infrastructure is operated solely for anorganization. It can be managed by the organization or a third party andcan exist on-premises or off premises.

Community cloud: the cloud infrastructure is shared by severalorganizations and supports a specific community that has shared concerns(e.g., mission, security requirements, policy, and complianceconsiderations). It can be managed by the organizations or a third partyand can exist on-premises or off-premises.

Public cloud: the cloud infrastructure is made available to the generalpublic or a large industry group and is owned by an organization sellingcloud services.

Hybrid cloud: the cloud infrastructure is a composition of two or moreclouds (private, community, or public) that remain unique entities butare bound together by standardized or proprietary technology thatenables data and application portability (e.g., cloud bursting forload-balancing between clouds).

A cloud computing environment is service oriented with a focus onstatelessness, low coupling, modularity, and semantic interoperability.At the heart of cloud computing is an infrastructure that includes anetwork of interconnected nodes.

Referring now to FIG. 5, illustrative cloud computing environment 50 isdepicted. As shown, cloud computing environment 50 includes one or morecloud computing nodes 10 with which local computing devices used bycloud consumers, such as, for example, personal digital assistant (PDA)or cellular telephone 54A, desktop computer 54B, laptop computer 54C,and/or automobile computer system 54N can communicate. Nodes 10 cancommunicate with one another. They can be grouped (not shown) physicallyor virtually, in one or more networks, such as Private, Community,Public, or Hybrid clouds as described hereinabove, or a combinationthereof. This allows cloud computing environment 50 to offerinfrastructure, platforms and/or software as services for which a cloudconsumer does not need to maintain resources on a local computingdevice. It is understood that the types of computing devices 54A-N shownin FIG. 5 are intended to be illustrative only and that computing nodes10 and cloud computing environment 50 can communicate with any type ofcomputerized device over any type of network and/or network addressableconnection (e.g., using a web browser).

Referring now to FIG. 6, a set of functional abstraction layers providedby cloud computing environment 50 (FIG. 5) is shown. It should beunderstood in advance that the components, layers, and functions shownin FIG. 6 are intended to be illustrative only and embodiments of theinvention are not limited thereto. As depicted, the following layers andcorresponding functions are provided:

Hardware and software layer 60 includes hardware and softwarecomponents. Examples of hardware components include: mainframes 61; RISC(Reduced Instruction Set Computer) architecture based servers 62;servers 63; blade servers 64; storage devices 65; and networks andnetworking components 66. In some embodiments, software componentsinclude network application server software 67 and database software 68.

Virtualization layer 70 provides an abstraction layer from which thefollowing examples of virtual entities can be provided: virtual servers71; virtual storage 72; virtual networks 73, including virtual privatenetworks; virtual applications and operating systems 74; and virtualclients 75.

In one example, management layer 80 can provide the functions describedbelow. Resource provisioning 81 provides dynamic procurement ofcomputing resources and other resources that are utilized to performtasks within the cloud computing environment. Metering and Pricing 82provide cost tracking as resources are utilized within the cloudcomputing environment, and billing or invoicing for consumption of theseresources. In one example, these resources can include applicationsoftware licenses. Security provides identity verification for cloudconsumers and tasks, as well as protection for data and other resources.User portal 83 provides access to the cloud computing environment forconsumers and system administrators. Service level management 84provides cloud computing resource allocation and management such thatrequired service levels are met. Service Level Agreement (SLA) planningand fulfillment 85 provide pre-arrangement for, and procurement of,cloud computing resources for which a future requirement is anticipatedin accordance with an SLA.

Workloads layer 90 provides examples of functionality for which thecloud computing environment can be utilized. Examples of workloads andfunctions which can be provided from this layer include: mapping andnavigation 91; software development and lifecycle management 92; virtualclassroom education delivery 93; data analytics processing 94;maintaining session continuity during periods of inactivity within thesession 96.

The present invention can be a system, a method, and/or a computerprogram product at any possible technical detail level of integration.The computer program product can include a computer readable storagemedium (or media) having computer readable program instructions thereonfor causing a processor to carry out aspects of the present invention.

The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that canretain and store instructions for use by an instruction executiondevice. The computer readable storage medium can be, for example, but isnot limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device,an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, asemiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of thecomputer readable storage medium includes the following: a portablecomputer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), aread-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMor Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portablecompact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD),a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such aspunch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructionsrecorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. Acomputer readable storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construedas being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freelypropagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagatingthrough a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulsespassing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmittedthrough a wire.

Computer readable program instructions described herein can bedownloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a computerreadable storage medium or to an external computer or external storagedevice via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, awide area network and/or a wireless network. The network can comprisecopper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wirelesstransmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/oredge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in eachcomputing/processing device receives computer readable programinstructions from the network and forwards the computer readable programinstructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium withinthe respective computing/processing device.

Computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations ofthe present invention can be assembler instructions,instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions,machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions,state-setting data, configuration data for integrated circuitry, oreither source code or object code written in any combination of one ormore programming languages, including an object oriented programminglanguage such as Smalltalk, C++, or the like, and procedural programminglanguages, such as the “C” programming language or similar programminglanguages. The computer readable program instructions can executeentirely on the user's computer, partly on the user's computer, as astand-alone software package, partly on the user's computer and partlyon a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server. Inthe latter scenario, the remote computer can be connected to the user'scomputer through any type of network, including a local area network(LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection can be made to anexternal computer (for example, through the Internet using an InternetService Provider). In some embodiments, electronic circuitry including,for example, programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gatearrays (FPGA), or programmable logic arrays (PLA) can execute thecomputer readable program instructions by utilizing state information ofthe computer readable program instructions to personalize the electroniccircuitry, in order to perform aspects of the present invention.

Aspects of the present invention are described herein with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of theinvention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer readable program instructions.

These computer readable program instructions can be provided to aprocessor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, orother programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, suchthat the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computeror other programmable data processing apparatus, create means forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks. These computer readable program instructionscan also be stored in a computer readable storage medium that can directa computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, and/or otherdevices to function in a particular manner, such that the computerreadable storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises anarticle of manufacture including instructions which implement aspects ofthe function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram blockor blocks.

The computer readable program instructions can also be loaded onto acomputer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other deviceto cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer,other programmable apparatus or other device to produce a computerimplemented process, such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement thefunctions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods, and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams can represent a module, segment, or portionof instructions, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). In some alternativeimplementations, the functions noted in the blocks can occur out of theorder noted in the Figures. For example, two blocks shown in successioncan, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks cansometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon thefunctionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of theblock diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocksin the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implementedby special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specifiedfunctions or acts or carry out combinations of special purpose hardwareand computer instructions.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, thesingular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the pluralforms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It willbe further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising”,when used in this specification, specify the presence of statedfeatures, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, butdo not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features,integers, steps, operations, elements, components and/or groups thereof.

The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of allmeans or step plus function elements in the claims below, if any, areintended to include any structure, material, or act for performing thefunction in combination with other claimed elements as specificallyclaimed. The description of one or more embodiments has been presentedfor purposes of illustration and description, but is not intended to beexhaustive or limited to in the form disclosed. Many modifications andvariations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. Theembodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain variousaspects and the practical application, and to enable others of ordinaryskill in the art to understand various embodiments with variousmodifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:determining, by one or more processors, that a user of a given computingdevice has been authenticated to initiate an application session, thatthe application session is open, and that the application session has atimeout mechanism triggered by inactivity, wherein the inactivitycomprises the session not receiving a selection, via the given computingdevice, within a first predefined period of time, through an applicationsession interface, wherein the application session interface is renderedby the given computing device in a graphical user interface of the givencomputing device; determining, by the one or more processors, based onthe timeout mechanism, that the application session will automaticallytimeout within a second predefined period of time based on theinactivity; monitoring, by the one or more processors, activities of theuser during pendency of the application session with the application,wherein the activities comprise physical activities of the user andcomputing activities of the user; based on the monitoring, determining,by the one or more processors, that at least one activity of theactivities indicates engagement of the user with the applicationsession; and based on identifying the at least one activity indicatingthe engagement, preventing, by the one or more processors, the timeoutmechanism from being triggered during a duration of the at least oneactivity.
 2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, whereinmonitoring physical activities of the user comprises: identifying, bythe one or more processors, one or more computing resources proximate tothe user; and utilizing, by the one or more processors, the one or morecomputing resources to track eye movements of the user to determine ifthe eye movements indicates a focus by the user on the applicationsession interface, during the inactivity, wherein the focus comprisesthe at least one activity indicating the engagement.
 3. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein at least one computingresource of the one or more computing resources comprises an Internet ofThings device.
 4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, whereinidentifying the one or more resources comprises obtaining, by the one ormore processors, a registration, from the user, via the given computingdevice, of the one or more computing resources.
 5. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein monitoring physicalactivities of the user comprises: identifying, by the one or moreprocessors, one or more computing resources proximate to the user;utilizing, by the one or more processors, the one or more computingresources to monitor physical activities of the user comprisingmovements of the user; and generating, by the one or more processors, amovement profile for the given user, wherein the movement profilecomprises machine learned movement patterns for the given user, based onthe monitoring, wherein the movement profile comprises an engagementmeasure indicating a probability of a movement pattern of the movementpatterns indicating the engagement.
 6. The computer-implemented methodof claim 5, further comprising: identifying, based on the monitoring,the user performing a given movement pattern with an engagement measureindicating a probability of above a predefined threshold value that thegiven movement pattern indicates the engagement.
 7. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the given movementpattern comprises the at least one activity.
 8. The computer-implementedmethod of claim 1, wherein the one or more computing resources comprisean audio capture device, and wherein monitoring physical activities ofthe user comprises recording audio of the user during the pendency ofthe application session.
 9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8,wherein determining that the at least one activity of the activitiesindicates the engagement of the user with the application sessionfurther comprises: identifying, by the one or more processors, utilizingnatural language processing, a context of the recorded audio of theuser; cognitively analyzing, by the one or more processors, the contextand the audio and a context of the application session to determine ofthe context of the audio and the context of the application are related;and based on determining that the context of the audio and the contextof the application are related, identifying, by the one or moreprocessors, the audio as the at least one activity.
 10. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein monitoring computingactivities of the user comprises: monitoring, by the one or moreprocessors, computing activities performed utilizing the given computingdevice during the pendency of the application session, wherein thecomputing activities do not include interacting with the applicationsession.
 11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, whereindetermining that the at least one activity of the activities indicatesthe engagement of the user with the application session furthercomprises: prompting, by the one or more processors, through thegraphical user interface of the given computing device, the user toindicate a linkage between each of the computing activity of thecomputing activities and the application session; and obtaining, by theone or more processors, based on the prompting, an indication that atleast one computing activity of the computing activities in linked tothe application session; and based on the obtaining, determining thatthe at least one computing activity of the computing activities is theat least one activity of the activities that indicates the engagement.12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, further comprising:retaining, by the one or more processors, in a memory, the linkageindicated by the user.
 13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12,wherein the one or more processors commence monitoring a givenpre-defined period of time prior to an expiration of the secondpredefined period of time.
 14. A computer program product comprising: acomputer readable storage medium readable by one or more processors andstoring instructions for execution by the one or more processors forperforming a method comprising: determining, by the one or moreprocessors, that a user of a given computing device has beenauthenticated to initiate an application session, that the applicationsession is open, and that the application session has a timeoutmechanism triggered by inactivity, wherein the inactivity comprises thesession not receiving a selection, via the given computing device,within a first predefined period of time, through an application sessioninterface, wherein the application session interface is rendered by thegiven computing device in a graphical user interface of the givencomputing device; determining, by the one or more processors, based onthe timeout mechanism, that the application session will automaticallytimeout within a second predefined period of time based on theinactivity; monitoring, by the one or more processors, activities of theuser during pendency of the application session with the application,wherein the activities comprise physical activities of the user andcomputing activities of the user; based on the monitoring, determining,by the one or more processors, that at least one activity of theactivities indicates engagement of the user with the applicationsession; and based on identifying the at least one activity indicatingthe engagement, preventing, by the one or more processors, the timeoutmechanism from being triggered during a duration of the at least oneactivity.
 15. The computer program product of claim 14, whereinmonitoring physical activities of the user comprises: identifying, bythe one or more processors, one or more computing resources proximate tothe user; and utilizing, by the one or more processors, the one or morecomputing resources to track eye movements of the user to determine ifthe eye movements indicates a focus by the user on the applicationsession interface, during the inactivity, wherein the focus comprisesthe at least one activity indicating the engagement.
 16. The computerprogram product of claim 15, wherein at least one computing resource ofthe one or more computing resources comprises an Internet of Thingsdevice.
 17. The computer program product of claim 16, whereinidentifying the one or more resources comprises obtaining, by the one ormore processors, a registration, from the user, via the given computingdevice, of the one or more computing resources.
 18. The computer programproduct of claim 14, wherein monitoring physical activities of the usercomprises: identifying, by the one or more processors, one or morecomputing resources proximate to the user; utilizing, by the one or moreprocessors, the one or more computing resources to monitor physicalactivities of the user comprising movements of the user; and generating,by the one or more processors, a movement profile for the given user,wherein the movement profile comprises machine learned movement patternsfor the given user, based on the monitoring, wherein the movementprofile comprises an engagement measure indicating a probability of amovement pattern of the movement patterns indicating the engagement. 19.The computer program product of claim 18, further comprising:identifying, based on the monitoring, the user performing a givenmovement pattern with an engagement measure indicating a probability ofabove a predefined threshold value that the given movement patternindicates the engagement, wherein the given movement pattern comprisesthe at least one activity.
 20. A system comprising: a memory; one ormore processors in communication with the memory; program instructionsexecutable by the one or more processors via the memory to perform amethod, the method comprising: determining, by the one or moreprocessors, that a user of a given computing device has beenauthenticated to initiate an application session, that the applicationsession is open, and that the application session has a timeoutmechanism triggered by inactivity, wherein the inactivity comprises thesession not receiving a selection, via the given computing device,within a first predefined period of time, through an application sessioninterface, wherein the application session interface is rendered by thegiven computing device in a graphical user interface of the givencomputing device; determining, by the one or more processors, based onthe timeout mechanism, that the application session will automaticallytimeout within a second predefined period of time based on theinactivity; monitoring, by the one or more processors, activities of theuser during pendency of the application session with the application,wherein the activities comprise physical activities of the user andcomputing activities of the user; based on the monitoring, determining,by the one or more processors, that at least one activity of theactivities indicates engagement of the user with the applicationsession; and based on identifying the at least one activity indicatingthe engagement, preventing, by the one or more processors, the timeoutmechanism from being triggered during a duration of the at least oneactivity.